State government has never been a paragon of efficiency but after twelve years of Mike Easley and Beverly Perdue and pay-to-play politics it’s become an unusually broad and deep quagmire.

The state’s Medicaid claims processing contract is an example: Years ago when Mike Easley was governor his administration decided to put the contract – the biggest contract in state government – out to ‘bid.’ After mountains of lobbying it was awarded to the ACS corporation and then, almost immediately, one of the contract awarders (a former legislator and under secretary in the Easley administration) left the government to work for the company that won that contract.

Two years later the new data processing system was such a mess the state cancelled the contract, paid ACS millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money to go away, and started all over.

This time the former legislator and under secretary changed hats and went to work as a lobbyist for another firm and, on the eve of Governor Perdue’s inauguration, his new client was awarded the $287 million contract. And a few days later, Governor Perdue appointed him Secretary of the department that awarded the contract.

Three years passed and, for the second time, the new data processing system was the cyber equivalent of a hole in the ground, years behind schedule and hundreds of millions of dollars over budget. The Secretary-lobbyist-legislator solved the problem by extending his former client’s contract and agreeing to pay another $200 million dollars of taxpayers’ money.

That’s one example of what Pat McCrory is about to inherit. There’re dozens more. And Pat McCrory ought to throw them over the side. And get rid of the tarbabies. Otherwise, in four years, they’ll be his tarbabies.

What bothers me is McCrory's latest statements that he's considering putting democrats in his cabinet in the interest of bipartisanship. Does this mean we're just going to accept "more of the same"...the same thing you're presenting here to us? Sounds like it, but hope I'm wrong.

McCrory needs to realize WHY he got elected and WHO elected him and WHY they elected him. We don't need "more of the same" in Raleigh. We need a governor that is frugile, willing to make the tough political decisions with the ability to make our state's citizens understand why it's necessary.

If McCrory does what truly needs to be done, will there be people that will suffer? Of course. I mean, if we're going to try to be a state that just makes sure everyone is successful and no one sees hard times regardless of effort and so forth, then we should have elected a democrat as governor. It's just that simple. People will have to suffer. That's the nature of our "system" in America...and, especially in our states.

RICH KEEP QUIET3% very rich are entrepreneursOnly 4 of 150 nations have more inequality than USANamibia, Zimbabwe, Denmark, SwitzerlandAmount equal to one-half gdp is held untaxed overseas.Corporations stopped paying half of their taxes after the recessionTen Americans made fifty billion in one yearTax deductions for rich could pay off 100% of deficitAverage single Black or Hispanic woman has $100 net worthElderly and disabled food stamp recipients get $4.30 a day for food.Young adults have lost two-thirds of net worth since 1984.The American public paid about four trillion to bail out banksA sales tax of one-tenth of one penny on securities trading could pay off the deficitArticle Rich Fudge numbers by Paul Buchheit in common dreams.org 11-19-12clarence swinney

Books and detailed articles have been written on it.Here is simple list of one cause=Loss Of Revenue via Tax Cuts fr the richWe borrowed(2001-2009) 6100 Billion and 86% was from three new Bush programsTwo Wars—Tax Cut For Rich—Part D Medicare unfunded gift to pharma.%of GDP----Revenue Expenditures2000--------------20%-------18%2003--------------16%-------20%2007--------------18%-------20%2009--------------15%-------25%2010--------------15%-------24%2011--------------15%-------25%2000-2011---Spend Increased 33%--Revenue fell 25%Today, a major world study, shows America has more Inequality in 90 nationsthan all but Namibia, Zimbabwe, Denmark and Switzerland.IN OECD we rank:#1—largest percent (24%)of work force has lowest pay#2—Least Tax on Corporations-Since 2008 paid annual rate of 10%.#3---Least taxed nation as percent (27%) of GDP in federal-state-local taxes#4---InequalityGod Help The Divided States Of America